


The Initial Invitation

by afteriwake



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Blind Date, Drabble Collection, F/F, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 22:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5067712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not everyone has the same first date. Some go smoothly, some don't, but what matters in the end is how you continue on afterward. A collection of some potential first dates in the Sherlock universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Initial Invitation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NSquared](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NSquared/gifts), [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts), [bakerst_sherlolly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakerst_sherlolly/gifts).



> So these are some drabbles I wrote based on prompts given to me by Tumblr followers of mine (plus a few from my mom), all of which were nice and vague enough to lend themselves to a general idea of first dates. The title of the collection comes from a quote from Janell L. Carroll's Sexuality Now ("The most difficult part of dating is the initial invitation").

  
**Color Coordinated Set-up**  
_Greg Lestrade/Sally Donovan_   


She didn't get the point of color-coordinating for a blind date. She didn't get the point of her friends setting her up on a blind date, to be honest, not after she'd said to hell with dating after ending things with Phillip. What did they not understand when she said "My taste in men is lousy, they all turn out to be wankers in the end, even when I'm not the one who chooses them in the first place?" That meant even when her friends picked out the men she'd go on dates with they'd _still_ be arseholes.

But Molly insisted she had the absolute perfect man. She supposed she ought to let her friend have a go at it; Molly needed a distraction from the dissolution of her engagement and...whatever the bloody hell was going on with her and Holmes. That was something she didn't want to touch with a ten foot pole. So now she was smoothing down the front of the blue dress Molly had helped her pick out as she went to the bar at Core, looking for someone there wearing a red tie with a red rose. And the only person she spotted was...Greg? She went over and tapped him on the shoulder, giving him a raised eyebrow. He gave her a wide eyed look in response. "Molly?" she asked.

"Molly," he said, nodding. He chuckled at that. "Oh, she's a crafty one. I make _one mention_ over a pint that I'm glad you got promoted because I could maybe see if something could happen, and..." She had to grin at that. She may hug Molly or hit Molly the next morning, but as Greg got off the bar stool and handed her to rose before offering her his arm and asking "Shall we?" she was _definitely_ leaning towards hugging her.

  
**More To The Evening**  
_Irene Adler/Molly Hooper_   


She was not sure what she had expected on a date with Molly Hooper. When she had been observing Sherlock she had taken an interest in the meek and timid woman, sizing up the possibilities of seducing her to get closer to Sherlock. It hadn’t been needed, of course, and then things had rather gone to hell after that and she’d had to fake her death and then disappear. At that point she’d focused on survival and thought less and less of her former life in London.

Eventually, though, she was able to return. Sherlock had done the same and taken up with some tart, much to her annoyance, so she decided on a bit of revenge. Her flirtations with Miss Hooper had begun as a way to show Sherlock what he was missing, but as she got to know the woman she found she was honestly and genuinely attracted to her. So when she asked her to dinner and an evening at the theatre as something more than friends, and Molly had looked at her with wide eyes and blushed and ducked her head and stammered out a yes, she had felt a sense of victorious euphoria wash over her.

And now, as the evening was coming to a close and they were on their way back to Molly’s home to part for the evening, she hoped Molly would invite her in. She didn’t want the evening to end. She wanted to have a reason to spend more time in Molly’s company, to be close to her, to kiss her lips and see if she was as soft as she thought Molly was. And when Molly leaned closer, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and gently settling a hand on her thigh, she thought that, perhaps, there might be more to their first date than a night out after all.

  
**Comedy of Errors**  
_Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade_   


He wasn’t sure what it was about Gregory that had caught his fancy. He wasn’t his type, or at least the type he’d assumed he’d had; he’d had very few lovers over the years and most had been very…different. More posh and refined. Gregory was comfortable. Lived in. The pyjamas he lounged in on his few days off compared to the immaculate designer suits he was used to, by way of comparison. So when it came time to woo him, he wanted to impress him.

Oh, what a comedy of errors. He had not expected a dormant serial killer to come out from the shadows, for his reemergence to ruin reservations that had been a month in the making and scuttle the chance to meet a chef that he knew Gregory admired. He had not expected to spend hours at the A&E waiting while Gregory had his broken leg set into a cast and apologized profusely for ruining their date, and he had not expected to end the evening at Gregory’s flat making a simple dinner of baked chicken and mushrooms in Marsala wine sauce with a salad on the side.

But the conversation had more than made up for it all, the easy flow of it between the two of them, and the small flat had been filled with warmth and laughter, and he’d realized he liked that. He liked that even though things had gone wrong and the evening had been shot to hell it was still a good evening, and they still had a good time. That was when he decided he definitely liked comfortable and lived in over posh and refined and he would take that any day of the week.

  
**Earlier Than Expected**  
_Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper_   


He hadn’t meant to show up early to their date. He was just…eager. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he’d tried to occupy his time at Baker Street with experiments and old cases while he gave her time to prepare their dinner but he just wanted the date to start. He hadn’t been this eager for something since his last big case, he realized. That had to mean something.

He’d gotten there even earlier than he realized, though, encountering Molly as she balanced a few sacks of groceries at her door. One was about to fall over but he got hold of it, earning himself a grateful look from her. “I’m not too early, I hope?” he asked.

“Well, I’d wanted to impress you by having it all ready for you, but…it’s nice to have company while I cook,” she said, digging her keys out of her handbag and unlocking the door. She flashed him a warm smile as the door opened. “I think it could be a nice date with you helping me cook the meal as opposed to just eating it.” He gave her a small grin back as he followed her inside. To be honest, he’d be quite happy doing anything at all that she pleased, so long as he was in her company. If it meant cooking the meal that they were to share, so be it.

  
**Simple Yet Impressive**  
_Mycroft Holmes/Anthea_   


They spent so much time together at meals and at events that he wasn’t quite sure what to do for an actual date with her. It seemed as though something mundane would be best. But that was what had him confused. What did normal everyday people do for dates? What was done when someone wasn’t trying to impress someone with elegance and sophistication but was still trying to impress? That was the conundrum.

In the end he decided a picnic was best. He had to plan it carefully. There was no way it could be done in London; too many prying eyes among their fellow government officials. So he found a reason for them to go into the country, on a “business meeting.” He packed the basket with care, putting in only the best foods and drinks. He picked out a quilt that was soft that they could sit on in comfort that he didn’t care if it got dirty. And he picked the perfect spot: out of sight, on public property, and in the shade. At this time of year the bugs should be to a minimum and it should be as close to perfect as possible.

He wasn’t as enthused about it as she was, in the end, but the joyous smile on her face as she enjoyed the food and the warm laughter that bubbled forth made him feel that he had made the best choice in making this their first official date. And the fact that she took the opportunity that the relative privacy gave them to show her appreciation with some kisses pleased him greatly. He might even consider doing this again, at some point in the future, if he got such an enthusiastic response each and every time.

  
**Start Of Something Wonderful**  
_John Watson/Mary Morstan_   


She liked the color orange. It was a nice, bold color. Most people only brought it out around Halloween, or in the autumn, but she loved wearing it year round. And she had a lovely dress that was perfect for this date: V-necked with no sleeves, a white colored band at the waist and three white lines on the skirt and cream and white flowers on the lines on the skirt with green leaves. She adored this dress and she thought John might as well. It was unique and cute, just like he’d said she was.

She had to admit, she hadn’t expected him to notice her. That was a surprise. But it had pleased her. She was supposed to stay close to him, before, but once she’d gotten out of the game she’d just…stayed, hoping he’d noticed. And when he did, she felt lightness in her, a lightness that grew even more when she saw his face light up when he spotted her as he sat at the bar. Oh, this was a good sign, she thought to herself, twirling slightly, so the skirt flared out, giving him a wide grin. Tonight was going to be a good night, she could tell. Tonight was going to be the start of something _wonderful_.


End file.
